FROSTBITE | S. Rogers/B. Barnes (FINISHED)

Condensation

Four months had passed since the Final Event. Janie began to refer to it as such to detach herself emotionally from what had happened in September. It still stung, the memory of Steve going down the quantum tunnel only to return to the present a changed man. It still kept her up at night, too. The dreams came and went, but they all had one thing in common. They brought loneliness, a dreadful feeling that didn't subside even after the dream was over and carried throughout Janie's days even with Sam and Bucky by her side. She skipped out on Christmas despite the guys' pleas to at least go to dinner and instead, the three of them ordered Chinese and watched Home Alone 1 and 2. 

The two of them kept her sane somehow, which she couldn't deny. They acted as life vests, keeping her afloat in an ocean so deep and rough she would sink for all eternity if not for them. She still hadn't spoken with Steve, terrified of what she might discover about herself. Instead, she tried to think about him as little as possible. It worked most days when she kept herself busy with training and preparing for missions, but sometimes she couldn't help but feel as if he was there with her again, his shadow looming over her in a menacing way. 

Sweat was damp on her upper lip and temples and long strands of hair stuck to the nape of her neck. It took her a great deal of concentration to keep the tremors in her legs and the pulsing in her shoulders under control. Pushing against Bucky's palms was tough because he'd put his entire weight into pushing back and he had a lot of pounds of straight-up muscle on her. Still, she wasn't weak and the flickering white brilliance in his eye told her he was impressed with her endurance. She shut her eyes for a moment, breathing slowly in an attempt to steady herself. Then, she ducked underneath his armpit, causing Bucky, who was still pushing against the palms of Janie's hands with all his strength, to fall forward onto the matt face first. 

She jumped backward when he got up from the floor, barely missing his leg, which he used as a hook in an attempt to force her down. His chest heaved up and down as they spun in a circle, both of them breathing heavily and sweating. She could hear the thumping of his heart and the pitter-patter of rain hitting the gym's windows, followed by the squeaks of his footsteps inside the ring. 

"Jay?" He panted. 

"I'm all right," she breathed, trying to swallow whatever saliva had accumulated in the back of her throat for moisture. 

"You need a break?" She was painfully thirsty, although she hadn't known it until Bucky had given her a small window of opportunity to realize it. 

Her legs would give way if she suggested another round, she knew that much. Bucky was a harsh trainer, rough and violent but swift in his movements. It was the only time he ever reminded her of the Winter Soldier under HYDRA's influence. He'd bark orders when she used the machines to gain muscle and forced her to get back up after he kicked her ass in the ring. He didn't like being that way, but she begged him to do it because, according to her, she wanted to be ready for missions when the time came and this was the only way to do it.